Transplantation regularity authority: Govt issues ordinance to curb illegal organ donation

Four committees will be formed to monitor transplants.

PESHAWAR:

In an effort to curb illegal organ donation, the provincial government has approved the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Medical Transplantation Regularity Authority Ordinance 2012.

The ordinance, the first of its kind, bans people less than 18 years of age from donating organs. Violators will be sentenced to 10 years and fined up to rupees one million.

Four committees will be formed to look after all matters relating to organ transplants. These will namely be the transplant ethical regulatory committee, transplant monitoring committee, transplant evaluation committee and transplant inquiry committee.

Under section seven of the ordinance, the transplantation regulatory authority will be headed by the provincial Health Minister Syed Zahir Ali Shah and will include nine medical experts.

Clause seven and eight of the section say that the authority shall regulate, monitor and control all transplants. The committees will establish a provincial registry and provincial and regional networks to ensure quality treatment at transplant centres.

Subclause (a) and (b) for section seven further say that the authority will approve medical institutions and hospitals for surgery, as well as surgeons, physicians and specialists involved.

“No hospital or medical institution will be allowed to carry out transplants unless it is authorised to do so by the Regulatory Authority,” the ordinance says.

According to section three, a living donor, older than 18 years of age can voluntarily donate an organ of his body to another person who is a blood relative and the donation of an organ, tissue or cell of the person for therapeutic purpose shall be regulated as prescribed.  In the case of regenerative tissue such as a stem cell, a sibling under 18 can also donate.

While the funds will be provided by the government, donations by philanthropists and income from other sources will also be used to help finance all requirements of the new ordinance.

The hospitals which are authorised to perform organ transplantation will be responsible for either patient in case health issues arise during their lifetime.

“Many people in the province are performing organ transplants without fulfilling medical requirements. They have made it into a business, risking lives of many vulnerable people,” said special secretary for health, Dr Noorul Iman. He added that all rules will be finalised within a week and the regulatory authority will soon start functioning.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2012.